Hi Toker from your PA neighbor. Welcome!
I just wanted to chime in, that I bought a
camp chef myself this week, the STX from campsaver.com which is now sold out. They still have a 20% off code showing, so it was a very reasonable price. From what I've read on the
camp chef line, most of the features that come with the more expensive models are added shelves and a cover, with the exception of the woodwind line having a convection fan, and the top tier models also having a drop chute to empty the pellet bin. I just scoop the excess out, and run the rest through the auger to empty or change pellets. The
camp chef line does have a heat shield that can be slid to the side to expose the burn pot as well, but it's under the grill rack and under the drip shield, so would require moving hot parts to get it open or closed, and obviously you want meat off the grill first. It's nicely engineered such that you can tip the rack up, lift the drip shield and slide it in a bit and it holds both up hands free. I wouldn't mind it if I was flame searing at the beginning or end, but I wouldn't recommend it if you needed open flame multiple times mid session. For my purposes, I love my new
camp chef! Here's a pic of the guts so you can see a bit better yourself what I mean: